RWBY Volume 1 Side-step
by sgtSkirata
Summary: Following Roman Torchwick's heist at the docks, team RWBY is preparing for the upcoming tournament though they themselves might not have over come the conflicts between them as of yet. Will Include all characters from Adam to Yang.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A cup of Syrup Please**

**Beacon Academy, Just another day**

It was about seven in the morning. Everyone was happy there weren't any classes during the Vytal festival. It had been quite the exam week just before vacation and everyone needed a long break: Professor Bartholomew's history exam was anything short of frantic.

Remnant was host to a rich history between the realms. His test entailed everything from the founders to the days following the Faunus war. That was a few hundred years of innovation and stress that even the most seasoned of students would have trouble grasping. Most classes only covered about a century or two a test, but Bartholomew wasn't one to waste time or caffeine.

Professor Port had just finished testing his students a few days ago on the "exciting tales" of _Peter and the Beowulf_, his own life story. Despite having heard his exaggerated exploits countless times, next to nobody had the means to study for such an exam. Well, except for Weiss of course, the only student who had taken notes on the man's reminiscing.

Throughout the past few weeks the majority of Port's students had simply spaced out whenever he dived into self-praise. Ruby, though deceivingly determined to act more like a leader, continued to fall asleep and draw in class. That is when she wasn't picking her nose. At least she tried to hide it now, though unsuccessfully.

Her sister Yang took notes every once in a while but was usually too busy laughing with Ruby or joining in with her daily shenanigans, at least when Professor Port wasn't watching her which was disturbingly constant. Blake, sitting furthest to everyone's right was able to ignore the group's insanity for the most part. It was rare but she sometimes joined in if not for anything else but to annoy Weiss.

Regardless of her praised study skills, Blake had also adopted the idea that Professor Port's stories were just stories. She didn't think the man would go as far as giving a test on his own exploits. Thinking over it now, she could understand it was obvious only a few people were listening in his class. Chances were Port only gave the test to remind his students of their duty to listen.

Then again Blake also had a hard time taking the man seriously when he wrote a question asking…

'_In Peter's youth, which creature had the newly inducted hunter acquired a specialty for capturing?' _It hadn't been the question that had disturbed her but the possible answers:

The Beowulf

Common Crabs

Ladies

All of the above.

She had answered "Beowulf", knowing that it was THE answer but continuing through the exam she feared that the answer had actually been "All of the above". A had to be true but given the Professor's demeanor towards female students Blake didn't put it past the man to think "Ladies", had been his forte in his early years. Regardless she couldn't think of anything that would possibly make "Crabs", true. Unless the abundance of "Ladies" had somehow caused the appearance of…

Upon riding this train of thought Blake mentally slapped herself on the wrist for having thought of something so dirty. She had a habit of thinking things nobody else would, not even her more vulgar friends. Must have been the "Romance" novels she kept reading.

Despite the strife the exams had brought the first year students, everyone slept easily that morning. Weiss was cuddled under her blankets without a fear in the world. Mornings had been something of a problem for her given Ruby's ruff wake-up calls. Weiss had learned that applying earplugs was the answer to her toils.

On the other side of the room Yang slept with one arm and leg hanging down from her bunk. Yang had a habit of coming home late from time to time. To Weiss' surprise the girl wasn't intoxicated upon arrival, at least not noticeably. She had probably just been burning up the dance floor. A shock given her party attitude and her preference of Strawberry Sunshine's. The snow princess had yet to find a true problem with the eldest of their team but it was easy to say that it was only a matter of time until a war of fire and ice waged across the campus of beacon.

Blake woke up instinctively as the sun rose from Remnant's far off horizon. Every night Blake went to bed laying face first in her pillow cuddled under her blankets. By morning she always found herself turned around and curled up by the foot of her bed, the only spot where she could get sunlight without falling on the floor. Though it was tempting, a lot of sunlight was wasted on the floor. Weiss's bed received a strong beam of light every morning. Blake had debated twice to ask if they could switch beds but the idea of asking Weiss for anything annoyed Blake to some degree.

As Blake motioned herself to the end of her bed, bathing in what light she could, she took the time to account for the rest of the team. Yang's appendages were blocking her view as always, Weiss was smiling in her sleep, now only half covered, hogging the sunlight and Ruby was…Where was Ruby?"

"RISE AND SHINE TEAM RWBY!" She yelled slamming open the girl's door.

"Wah!" SMACK. Yang fell from her bed and moaned as she tried to pick herself up from the floor. It seemed having lived with her sister had not prepared her for Ruby's sense of morning excitement. Blake, just wanting to sleep more, rolled off and under her bed with Ninja speed, hoping nobody would notice her. She was usually quick to awake, often the first to do so, fighting a strange urge to scratch the door and beg for attention. The only way she knew to fight the animalistic act was to grab a hot cup of tea, with milk of course being the feline she was, and drink it intently until the urge went away, hopefully before anybody woke up.

Last night she had been too busy reading the latest _Ninjas with Passion _novel that she wouldn't dare read with everyone else awake to see. She finished it about four hours ago and needed time to rest.

"Everyone to your stations! The tournament is just around the bend and we haven't even started to train."

"But Sis…" Yang moaned.

"No buts!" Ruby ordered waiving in someone. "Lucky for us our neighbors want to help."

"Not really," Ren said begrudgingly as he slouched against the door way. "Honestly it was a long week and we need time to rest Ruby. I feel like all the energy is sucked out of me through studying and…"

"NORA!" The pink wearing girl yelled grabbing the young man before joining Ruby by her side. It was almost as if Ren and Nora shared one pool of energy, of which, Nora left none for Ren. "We gotta get cracking if we're gonna catch up to leader!"

"Leader?" Yang asked still dazed and confused.

"Jaune silly. Pyrrha has been putting him through the ringer upstairs. They woke up super early to start training."

"Wow, Jaune's training?" Ruby said surprised, maybe her pep talk the other day actually worked.

"Yap, it's a secret, and Pyrrha is one hardcore coach. GURL KNOW HOW TO DO!" Nora ended with a low and loud griffball voice. Griffball being her favorite sport. No surprise give her weapons second form. _(RT loves leaving references to their other projects in their works. Rooster Teeth is the only reason why Microsoft thought of griffball so I thought it was fitting to work the "sport" in. You figure with aura people would be able to survive a hit from a grav hammer. They survive all the gunshots from team RWBY so why not?)_

"Well if Jaune can do it, anybody can!" Ruby cheered.

"Wait, Jaune is your leader, why are you taking orders from Ruby?" Yang asked.

"Jaune said if he's not around then Pyrrha is in charge." Ren sighed before the next part. "But Pyrrha said if anything were to happen to her then we were to find you guys and..."

"Join forces!" Nora yelled.

"Weiss, wake up!" Ruby shouted blowing her whistle.

The girl continued to sleep peacefully. Her earplugs were designed by her family's company to shield the ears from anything short of concussion from Dust artillery cannons.

"I didn't want to do this Weiss. Nora!"

"Yes mam!" Nora pulled out her weapon, Magnhild, and loaded a high explosive round.

BANG! "WHAAA!" "REEOOWWW!"

Weiss screamed out of her bed and Blake hissed, hitting her head on the underside of her bed as her sensitive cat ears rang from the round that had just exploded just outside their window.

"What in the world was that?!" Weiss said looking around the room for the source of the sound. She somehow ignored the grenade launcher in Nora's hand and immediately looked at Ruby ", you!"

"About time you woke up Sleeping Snooty." Ruby responded flipping her hair.

"It's barely seven in the morning you dimwit!"

"I know," she replied with glee ", that leaves plenty of time for us to start training!"

"Or sleep." Ren and Yang said in Unison.

"Today we have a strict training regimen that I have created. There's a lot on the list so we'll have to get started early everyone!"

Wasn't your run in with Roman the other day enough?" Weiss complained. "That little fight of yours should have tired you out for a while, Missy."

"I didn't even get to show him how things are done. Penny hogged all the fun. We're going to have to work really hard to catch up to her."

"No we don't. Nowhere on my bucket list have a written that I wish to acquire the ability to become strange and supper creepy like that weirdo you call a friend!"

"You didn't even see her fight Weiss! There were swords flying everywhere, lasers and OMG she cut two Bullheads in half!" Ruby replied geeking over the subject like she did whenever she was impressed.

"Sure she did Ruby and Animal people live among us!" Weiss yelled earning an angry cat rumble from Blake who was still under her bed. "Oh don't growl at me Cat Woman. You're the reason why Ruby's so consumed with this nonsense. Someone get her out from under there, it's embarrassing."

"I got it. Awe, Blake are you hiding under the bed? Yes you are." Yang said as if talking to a pet. She grabbed Blake by the leg and pulled her out. Blake tried to resist, digging her nails into the carpet but sadly she had just cut them so they were of no use to her. "That's my pretty kitty."

Yang sat Blake upright on her bed petting her just behind her bow. Blake was angry that she couldn't sleep more but couldn't help but feel the urge to pure as Yang rubbed behind her ears. Once again her animal urges were getting the better of her. She needed her tea and milk.

Ren was still too sleepy to notice what all the cat references were adding up to and Nora was too busy thinking about the next step in their day. "Let's get breakfast!"

"I agree Nora. That should be our next order of business," Ruby stated as Weiss reluctantly and angrily made her way to the restroom with her battle attire in hand.

"Sadly the lunchroom isn't open this early," Blake stated. If it were it would be much easier for her to get a hold of some tea and milk in the morning. With the lunchroom and stores closed and a lack of a refrigerator in their room Blake had to resort to shady measures to quench her early morning thirst.

"Let's go to iHOW!" Nora yelled.

"I haven't been to the **International House of Waffles **in months!" Yang gasped suddenly feeling an urge to eat. "The porridge ain't bad!"

"They do give you a whole thermos of tea," Blake added.

"And I do like pancakes," Ren admitted scratching his chin as he thought about his favorite food.

"Then it's iHOW time!" Nora and Ruby cheered in unison.

Everyone walked out the door in what they were wearing, more or less with some changes, knowing that the dress code for early morning places was rather low end.

With everyone's hunger at its max, they all left in a hurry.

"Ok well if we're going to train then I hope you understand Ruby that I should probably look over the training plan so we don't…" Weiss was the only one left. "Guys?...Urg you jerks!"

**Professor Ozpin's office.**

With all the windows to his office pointing to the west, Professor Ozpin's was rather dark before noon. It wouldn't be so bad if the lights were on but at the moment there wasn't any electricity in Beacon's main building. Ozpin had a way of neglecting the more important things involved in running a school. The first day that year. Of which he also neglected the bill, he had ordered the staff to put out candles for the new students. It annoyed a lot of people, including Blake Belladonna who had grown tired of reading her books in such dim conditions. The electricity was back the next morning but not of his own choice.

"Glynda?" he called out with a slightly musical tone in his voice. Unlike most mornings where he was angry not to get his usual hot cup of chocolate milk, today he was happy to see that the milk had not been stolen from the cooler under his desk. A mystery he continued to blame on ninjas and cats, not to point fingers.

"Yes professor," Glynda Goodwitch said politefully as she entered the man's office.

"Have you not paid the electricity bill this month? I dare to say we haven't had the pleasure of having a well lit room days."

"No, the electric bill is under your name sir. You had it changed so that I couldn't pay after you were unable to buy the cafeteria a month's supply cookies and chocolate."

"Did I do that?"

"Yes Professor Ozpin."

"Ms. Goodwhitch?" he said grabbing his cane and slowly getting up from his chair.

"Yes sir?" Glynda had been hoping the man would take action regarding the main buildings lack of electricity.

"Do we have this month's supply of chocolate?"

"No sir."

Ozpin took a long sip of the home brought chocolate milk he had prepared. "Well then remind me to order it."

Glynda held back the urge to question his actions. Instead she decided it was time to address more important matters. "Sir, I want to bring to mind the subject of our campus's free roam policy."

"What of it?" he groaned looking for some cookies in the shelves under his desk. Apparently he had had the last box.

"There have been several cases that have grabbed my attention. First students from other schools have been getting in trouble with the authorities. Theft, disturbance and violence in the like. Then Ms. Belladonna disappeared for almost three days without a word to her team. Upon finding her it is thought that she tried to single handedly stop one of the White Fang's heists in which two other individuals and Ruby Rose assisted her. Sadly this resulted in the destruction of a good portion of the Schnee Dust Company's property. To be blunt, our students are acting like deviants."

"Sounds like our girls saved the day Ms. Goodwitch." He said sipping the last of his drink, annoyed that there was no more milk to be found at this hour before the cafeteria opened. "Last I checked Roman Tourchwick didn't get all of the dust."

"Regardless, their actions the past few days have caused quite the fuss and I believe that we need to place restrictions."

"This school acts only as a way to help guide its pupils. Any campus could lock up its students and instruct them to behave within its walls, but one of the blessings of our own is the fact that we allow our students to take what they have learned and test it on their own time. If we hold them here until they graduate we are unable to see what they will do until they enter the real world. I feel safer letting them cause trouble now rather than letting them graduate in three years' time and finding out one of them became a monster and a disgrace to this school."

Glynda stayed silent knowing who Ozpin was referring to. He didn't have to say it. Ozpin had very few regrets in his life. He wouldn't let any of his students be one of them.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to observe some of our students," he said walking out of the room.

"Invasive as ever." She said.

"Somebody has to watch these 'deviants'," he said ending the conversation. Glynda sighed waiting for Ozpin to leave. With the room empty she looked at his office chair. She wondered if she could handle the pressure of looking over so many young students. Helping to raise them into the worlds finest had to be a hard task indeed.

She sat in his chair as if to dream. She would never wish to remove Ozpin from his position but regardless she thought on what she would do differently. She then noticed the trash can under his desk full of unpaid bills. She knew exactly what she would do differently, unlike him, she had priorities.

**Beacon Dorms (Roof)**

"Waahh!" Jaune gasped, tripping over himself as he tried to dodge Pyrrha's attack. Instead the spear that she had thrown at him snagged his hoodie and pinned him to the wall.

"Sorry!"

"Oh boy," he sighed. Jaune and Pyrrha had been training on the roof for a good few days now. He was learning a lot from her but was worrying it would take way too long until his skills caught up to that of his teams. His lack of skill had caused Jaune to sometimes act recklessly in battle. In sparing class he had become accustomed to taking hits. With so much Aura he was able to at least direct some of the pain away from his friends so that they could deal damage. Thinking back to his video game days, he was their good old tank and they were his DPS buddies. Though, he didn't remember tanks being as clumsy as he was.

"You're getting a lot better Jaune. In the past I would have pinned you to the wall in minutes. Your stamina has grown."

"Really!" Thinking back to it, he was getting better. He just wasn't perfect yet.

"With a little more work you might survive a round in the tournament."

"Wo wo wo, did you say tournament?"

"Yeah, everyone is planning on participating Jaune. Ms. Goodwitch insists."

"Is that a good idea though? Wha-o!" he yelped as Pyrrha freed her spear from his hoodie. He fell to the ground and Pyrrha helped him up like she always did.

"Of course it is. I thought you said you want to show Ren and Nora how far you've come?"

"Yes but there's other things at stake Pyrrha."

"Like what?" She asked tilting her head to its side like she always did when she was confused.

"Uh I don't know, the fact that I faked my transcript!"

"I won't tell anyone."

"It's not you." Jaune sighed. "What if I enlist in the tournament and I do so badly that they give my transcript another look. What if…what if I do so badly that Ozpin and Glynda just get rid of me regardless?"

"Honestly I think they would have done that already if that were the case. You're pretty bad." Jaune slouched in shame. "I mean you were pretty bad! You've come such a far way, you need to show people you're improving Jaune."

"I want to but maybe it should wait." Jaune was confident he wasn't ready.

Pyrrha looked at him as he looked out at the campus. Jaune wanted so much to feel like he belonged and she wanted him to feel like he did. It wasn't just Jaune, she wanted to help everyone. It was her nature. She hated seeing people sad and in need of help. Given the situation Jaune needed a lot. Since he had lied to get into Beacon it was only a matter of time until someone figure out what he had done. His only hope of staying enrolled was to show Professor Ozpin that he was trying. Maybe then he would overlook it. Ozpin was a weird man, he might cut him slack. "Let's just keep training then."

"If you say so," he moaned as she picked up and returned his shield.

"Hey Pyrrah?"

"Yes Jaune?"

"Thanks, for everything."

"You're welcome."

**IHow downtown Vale**

"Is there anything else I can get for all of you," the young sheep Faunus waitress asked after bringing everyone's food and drinks. She had long curly white hair and two rounded ears at the top of her head. She seemed the calm type.

"Actually Miss, I believe we need syrup." Ren asked politely.

"Oh, there's actually some on the table here..?" to her surprise all the syrup jars were empty. The group was big enough to have two tables pulled together so two sets of syrup were depleted.

"Hehe," Nora had a big grin on her face lined with what remained of the sweet topping.

"I apologize for my friend," Ren sighed.

"Uhm, I'll go get some more," The waitress knew this group was going to be rough given how many teenagers there were but she figured all would be well. That is until a certain Schnee family member arrived at the table. "Oh uh! My name is Tilda Ma'am, is there anything I can ge-get for you Ma'am?"

Weiss had just arrived. It took her a while until she figured out were everyone disappeared to. Ruby and Yang were goofing around and didn't notice she was calling their scrolls. Blake was the one that finally replied.

"Coffee." Weiss replied not sparing the waitress a glance as she looked at her partner who had yet to notice she'd arrived. Ruby was too busy making a large pyramid out of the coffee creamers left on the two tables. "I still can't believe you guys all left me there. Especially you Ruby, we're supposed to be partners!"

"I'm sorry." Ruby said truly feeling bad ", everyone was just so excited."

"To Ruby's defense you probably wouldn't have agreed to come here if she didn't go without you, Weiss." Yang suggested.

"Your right. I would have never have agreed to eat at such an abhorrent establishment."

"Come on Snooty Booty, who doesn't like waffles?" Nora asked cheerfully.

"What did you call me?!" Weiss realized there was no help pursuing the subject and sighed as Nora Grinned, high on syrup.

"So Ren," Yang asked ", what's going on between Pyrrha and vomit boy?"

"Vomit boy?"

"Jaune."

"Oh..? Well they've just been training a lot. I don't like to make assumptions." He said politely, taking a sip of his drink.

"They're getting it on!" Nora yelled scaring Ren into spitting out said drink.

"Really?!" Ruby gasped too innocent to accept the statement.

"Nora, stop assuming things!" Ren insisted while Nora went on to ignore him, singing to herself "Seriously, I don't think anything is going on between them. Plus, I'm pretty sure Jaune has other interests."

"Oh, you mean like Snow Angel?" Yang joked with a smile. Weiss acted like she was too busy to care. Fact was she straight up didn't.

"Speaking of mysterious couples, what of your accomplice Blake?" Weiss asked referring to Sun, the good time seeking monkey Faunus.

"I haven't heard from him since we left the docks." Blake said slightly annoyed.

"Really? I just figured the two of you would have kept in touch after spending three days together. A lot can be discussed in that magnitude of time."

"I just told him that we had an argument and that I needed some space. He did most the talking."

"Who is this sun fellow," Nora asked curiously.

"He's just a fri…" Blake tried to say.

"Blake's boyfriend," Yang interrupted. Blake blushed a little but more noticeably she stared at Yang with eye's that practically said '_I know where you sleep.'_

"Oohhh," Nora was intrigued. "What's he like?"

"One word, abs." Yang replied.

"Wow Blake you snagged a hunk? Who would of thought our quiet little Ninja could smooth talk a super stud? Then again you know what they say, the quiet ones are the Kinky ones." Nora said nudging Ren to annoy him. All he wanted to do was eat in peace.

Blake wasn't used to being embarrassed. Everyone was wrong. She didn't think about Sun that way at all. She just thought he was fun to be around. Well, there, to be around. Not that he was annoying and it wasn't that she didn't think he was nice looking. Sun was just a friend. Actually, just like Weiss, Blake had no idea how she felt about him. Regardless, that was for her to decide, not her friends. "Can we change the subject?"

"Can we?" Ren pleaded also annoyed. It seemed the man was reaching his limit when it came to the subject of "Romance".

"Let's talk about training!" Ruby announced pulling out her itinerary. "We can mark breakfast of the list. That means next up is stretching."

"Wait," Weiss said walking over and grabbing the girl's notebook ", you wrote that down as you said it! You don't have a plan. You're making it up as we go aren't you?"

"Well yeah," Ruby replied somewhat embarrassed. "I just thought I'd gauge what we need to do on the fly."

"You woke me up early without knowing what we were going to do?! What kind of leader doesn't have a plan? It's up to you to know what needs to be done. Who wants to follow someone who doesn't even know what comes after stretching?!"

"Well, I did have a few ideas."

"Like what?!"

"Well after stretching I thought we could do some squats."

"Squats?"

"Yeah, we could all use a little booty training."

"Especially you Weiss," Nora added.

"What do you know about my booty?!" Weiss yelled.

"We know it's white, powdered and snooty." Nora answered with a grin. "It's probably like two little bags of money, powdered in fine ground Snow Dust, clenched tightly together to stop all the cash from falling out. No wonder why you wear that puffy skirt all the time. You got dat flat butt."

Ruby, Yang and Blake all snorted a little trying to hold in their laughter while the pale skin on Weiss' face turned blood read with anger. "Who invited you anyway?! Don't you have your own team?"

"Come on Weiss," Yang tried to say, still laughing. The waitress had returned with refills, Weiss' coffee and more syrup for Nora. "You know Nora, she's just playing."

"I don't take comments about my rear end kindly. Especially when I was woke up at 6 in the morning to be dragged to this dump of a restaurant by a leader who doesn't even have a plan!" Weiss, in her anger, looked to the one thing that always brought her ease of mind. A hot cup of fresh coffee, which luckily the waitress had brought her. "Ahhh!"

"I'm sorry Miss, is it too hot?!" The Faunus waitress quickly pulled out a rag to clean up the coffee that Weiss had spilled in her shock. Everyone could tell the poor girl was nervous around Weiss. She had been fine when they had taken their orders but surely the young girl knew who their glamorous princess was.

"When did you make this coffee, last week?!"

"Uh I'm really sorry Mam, I thought it was a fresh pot! I must have grabbed the wrong one. I'll go back and get the other. I'm real sorry," Now it was obvious. She wasn't nervous around Weiss, she was afraid of her. Any Faunus who watched the holovids knew who the members of the Schnee family were. They all knew who could fire them in an instant.

"The fact that you kept an old pot of coffee around this long shows how questionable your concept of fresh is."

"Uh, I'll make another pot right now and it'll be on me," she was stuttering now.

"You don't have to do that," Yang said feeling both sorry for the girl and embarrassed of her teammate. "My friend just isn't a morning person. I'll pay for her coffee if it's a problem."

"Actually I want to see your manager," Weiss interrupted.

"Over coffee?" Ruby said confused and disturbed.

"I'll get him right away," The sheep haired girl said running off into the kitchen.

"Really Weiss?" Yang demanded.

"It's for the restaurants own good. People come here to get breakfast every morning. What is it going to do to their sales if people are served bad coffee?"

"She was going to get you another pot, Weiss. Plus she said it was an accident." Ruby tried to explain.

"It doesn't matter. Their manager needs to address the problem in general. You wouldn't understand since none of you are coffee drinkers."

"I drink coffee." Ruby said proudly.

"With 5 creams you dunce. I actually like a little coffee with my milk."

Blake just continued to sip her tea while picking at some pancakes she ordered. Weiss and she had just got done arguing. She really didn't want to get involved again but it took all of her restraint.

"I'm sorry Miss," Tilda the waitress said coming back to the table. "He's on the phone right now with the district manager. I'll bring him here the second he's finished."

"Please do," Weiss responded as Tilda scurried off again. Not unlike the way velvet often retreated from Cardin.

"Weiss do you have to be this way with her?" Ren said. He almost never talked to Weiss knowing that she was something of a basket case but he was starting to think her attitude was uncalled for. "Honestly we are a big group. She has a lot to do for us."

"Even I feel bad. She has to keep bringing us syrup," Nora said looking at the syrup jars which were once again empty.

"She's made a mistake and someone has to teach her to do better."

"So you're bullying her?" Blake said finally looking up. Nobody wanted to say it but if anybody was going to say it, it was Blake.

"There's a difference between bullying and constructive criticism. It's a burden but we have to help people like them."

"Excuse me?!" Blake quickly pushed her chair back and stood up looking dead straight into Weiss' eyes. The table was dead silent. Nora and Ren were confused but Ruby and Yang knew what was happening.

Weiss looked back at Blake for a moment a bit confused. What did she say that pissed off her teammate so much? Then it hit her like a brick to glass. Old habits die hard.

"People like them, you just quoted _The Human's Burden _didn't you?" Blake said in disbelief.

"I…" Weiss sat in her chair ashamed of what she had let slip out of her mouth. _The Human's Burden_ was a book written just after the Human Faunus war. Many of the Faunus who lived in the heavily human nations of Remnant didn't have jobs following the conflict. A good chunk of them knew very little other than survival and war. That's when Human companies noticed the faults in having growing slums full of ex-soldiers.

The book itself stated that it was the human's duty to help guide the Faunus to salvation. To many Faunus it sounded like a nice Idea, humans stepping down to help them when they were in need, many of them with families to feed. It didn't take long till people started reading the book though. It proclaimed the superior race of man had to help the Faunus not because they were in need, but because they were in a perpetual need of other's rights.

It said that humans had to pity them and give them aid or else they would rise again. That the Faunus were liars, degenerates, and killers. Psychos, heartless, insane criminals. Stupid, mutts and nothing but pure evil.

Blake was holding back her tears. That was all the stuff she grew up listening to. All the stuff people yelled at a poor little girl in the streets who didn't matter. To think, it came out of the mouth of someone she thought she could trust.

"Blake, I…" Weiss couldn't say how sorry she was. "I don't know what I was…"

"Leave." Blake interrupted looking down at the table. She wanted to run away and cry alone but she was tired of retreating. Weiss messed up. There was no point defending herself now. She went too far. Sniffling and holding in tears of her own knowing she hurt her friend again, she got up, pulling out a small purse from her dress of which she removed some money.

"I'll be back at the dorm…give this to the waitress when you're done eating Ruby," Weiss said handing a few Lien Chips to her partner.

"This is a lot of Lien?" Ruby said confused.

"I know…" Weiss left the restaurant feeling ashamed. Just then a Middle aged man exited the kitchen wearing a Managers uniform.

"I'm sorry everyone. Tilda told me something happened. Is there anything I can do for you?" The man asked. Everyone just looked at each other wondering what to say now that Weiss was gone. Blake just sat at the edge of the table drinking her tea.

"Well you see…"Ren tried to say.

"We could use some syrup!" Nora interrupted with a grin.

**Hello everyone and thanks for reading,**

**My name is Alexander Krousouloudis aka sgtSkirata on whatever entertainment network you use.**

**My goal with this fanfic is to make a series of chapters that fit between or during RWBY volumes that really don't mean much to Rooster Teeth's plot (unless of course any of you RT workers are reading then please go ahead and use what I have if you think it's cool. Just send me a T-shirt and mention me in the commentary or something haha. It's your story, have fun). Seriously, the people at Rooster teeth have made a great plot which is obvious if we're all reading and writing fanfictions. Thank you RT for giving us amazing characters to write about.**

**If you've read any of my other work (Persona, Steins Gate, or SOA) then you know I welcome criticism as much as I do compliments. I want to be able to write better for all of you and that doesn't happen unless someone says something. I do like to know what people want in a Fanfic as well, so say what you want to happen in this story. I won't allow shipping, deaths or any other major plot devices since I want this fic to last. What if in volume 2 Monty and the team decide aliens kidnap Jaune and both teams have to go and save him? I want to mainly work with the time just before the tournament and previous without going into big subject matter like Weiss' parents, Ruby and Yang having different last names, and if Ozpin ever pays the electric bill and so on.**

**One last time, thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: The White Princess and the Swarms of Black**_

**Theme for this set of chapters will be "I May Fall"-Casey & Jeff Williams. It's that RWBY song that was only in the credits for an episode but pretty awesome. I want to make having music for this fic a thing. It might not always be Jeff Williams stuff though or at least not just RWBY. Plenty of space for other Rooster teeth songs.**

** watch?v=xmOZL_0rj70  
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**P.S. It's time for some action!**

**Downtown Vale **

As Weiss made her way up the main street of Vale alone she couldn't help but think her predicament had been a bit one-sided. Though it was a personal problem, she made sure the world around her could hear about it as she shouted and stormed through the streets of vale.

"Urrgh!" she yelled to herself. "She doesn't understand! She didn't grow up hoping one of those night seeing monsters of hers wouldn't come through the window and slit her throat. I'm sure her life was hard and I'm even surer that it was less than hospitable given the look of the slums, but imagine how horrible going to sleep with armed guards outside of a your bedroom would be when your only eight years old. Imagine how it would feel to see friends be their one day and gone the next, abducted for ransom or vaporized in an 'unfortunate' dust incident."

Weiss knew she had overstepped her bounds at the restaurant. Especially seeing that not just a few days ago Blake had apologized to Weiss for running away and keeping her ethnicity secret. Regardless she was tired of being the bad guy. She'd gone through a lot and lost even more but wasn't willing to admit it. Not yet.

"I wish that imbecile of a feline would just think and…!" she was shouting before she bumped into someone leaving the café she was passing. She jumped back in frustration as the man's coffee spilt on both of them. "Urg! You got coffee all over my skirt you dunce! I hope you know how much this costs you…"

She stopped dead cold as the man recovered himself and adjusted his glasses. His eye's met hers with a judging glance. "A combat grade skirt like that would be beyond the income of most girls your age. Then again, most girls your age aren't my students."

"Professor Ozpin! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…!"

"No need to explain Ms. Schnee. This dunce understands perfectly well." He interrupted wiping off the coffee that had spilled on himself to the best of his abilities. It was worth it to say that it was much more than what had spilled on Weiss' skirt.

"Please forgive me, I usually don't say things like that Professor." She pleaded realizing that she'd insulted a mentor.

"I'm sure you don't. Professor Port only speaks highly of you." He groaned.

"Really?" She said in disbelief thinking the man despised her.

"Sarcasm my dear, Sarcasm." He replied turning back into the café.

"Uhm, I'll buy you another sir!" She said jumping in front of him.

"I'm fine, it would only be embarrassing if I had to ask someone as young as yourself to buy me coffee."

"I insist Sir. Please, there has to be something I can do to apologize." Weiss looked desperate to win back her head master's respect. Ozpin sighed having hoped the girl would have just walked away but her determination was unyielding. He was about to tell her to leave when he noticed something in the corner of this girls scared left eye. A small tear. She wasn't in any way actually crying, but whatever she was, it wasn't ok. Having worked with kids most of his life now Ozpin could tell what this was. She was overwhelmed with something personal and her attitude was reflecting it. It wasn't anything particular to her, all young girls had problems and he would be lying to say he as a young boy didn't have his fair share of issues growing up either. He understood that the smallest of problems could grow within a young person in time. It either made them better as they tried to face it or made them cynical as they denied it. With only a few mistakes in his life, he wanted to make sure this girl wouldn't be one of them. The last thing he needed was this young girl, already a skilled fighter for her age, growing up to become something horrible. She was already seventeen, and the issue couldn't wait.

"Ok this is what we'll do Ms. Schnee." He replied letting out a long breath. Weiss, just looked at him relieved for a moment realizing the man was going to give her a chance. Then, she thought about how the head master had thrown her and her friends, alone into a forest with nothing for company but blood thirsty monsters of grim. "I'm going to sit down at one of these tables out here. You're going to go in and by one Mocha chino, with extra extra mocha, one black coffee and two triple fudge brownies. I'll be waiting."

"Sir, two brownies?" She asked confused as he made his way to a table.

"Yes one for each of us, and I believe that you take your coffee black correct?"

"How did he?" she mumbled to herself as he sat down, thinking about how the man knew about her favorite drink before speaking up once more. "But sir I'm not very hungry."

"You just spilled a professor's coffee and insulted him but he's still asking you to have a small meal with him. I don't think not being hungry is the professional thing to do for an heiress like yourself, am I right?"

Weiss stopped herself from saying anything else that would come off rude and opened up the door to the café. Schneebuck's Coffee member card in hand.

**Emerald Forest,**

"Ok everybody, line up. Time to get some firing practice." Ruby announced.

"Hey sis?" Yang said.

"Yes Yang."

"What are we shooting at?" she asked feeling cautious of whatever her little sister was planning.

"Whatever Nora can call for us," Ruby announced.

"Call?"

"Nora's an expert in Grimm calls."

"Name the beast and I know the call!" Nora declared as if taking on a challenge.

"Please don't call a heard of Ursa. Ruby and Weiss almost burned down the forest last time they fought them," Ren moaned until Nora turned around with a big grin on her face. His friend was crazy but still his friend. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, we don't have to worry about Weiss burning any more bridges." Blake stated as she pouted behind everyone.

"What exactly is going on between you two?" Ren asked. He and Nora were still oblivious to her heritage. "I understand if you'd rather not talk about it."

Ren didn't like drama. Actually, he rather hated it. He liked having a simple, calm day were nobody was angry, gossiping or blasting holes in the wall with a grenade launcher. Regardless, he hated trouble more than drama. He could tell something bigger than the squabble at IHow was up and he was worried. Unlike some teams, team CRDL who he'd love to see arguing, he respected team RWBY and considered them his friends.

"I don't want to talk about Weiss. Suffice it to say that she's an ignorant, over pampered, discriminant snob who can't possibly get over her imperfections even if it means losing a friend. Not that she has many." She concluded rather coldly.

"Hey Blake don't you think you're going a little hard on her?" Yang inquired.

"How?"

"Well she did just forgive you after you disappeared and made her worry."

"She never apologized to me. It's not like she spent her life worrying about the lives of her family and friends. She was treated like royalty her entire life while companies ran by people, like her family, were paying certain people lower wages, arguing against their rights us out into streets."

"Us?" Ren mumbled to himself. He was pretty sure that he had it figured out but didn't want to say anything about. It was obvious Blake didn't tell him or most people for a reason so he'd just keep his mouth shut. "Still you have to see it from her point of view. Just because her family might be a little corrupt doesn't mean she is too."

Ren tried to calm down the situation but Blake gave him an evil scare that tested his fortitude.

"What I mean is they might have raised her but it isn't like she can't change. Think about it, she grew up with the Schnee family and their executives. Sure she has pride in her heritage but if she didn't have doubts then why did she go to beacon of all places?"

"What do you mean? Is there something wrong with Beacon?" Ruby asked being oblivious. She quickly came to realize that the group had no interest in her training regimen. Fact was they were talking about her team and it was her duty to sort things out if she could.

"Her family would probably think so. While not an active member of any civil rights movements, beacon is a rather open minded school. Notice how Bartholomew's lessons are completely against discrimination. That aside she's Heiress to the entire Schnee Company. I highly doubt her family fully supported her enrolling at beacon where she would constantly be in danger."

Blake just crossed her arms a little angry that her friends were making sense. She didn't like the fact that she might be a little too angry.

"Blake." Ruby said sincerely.

Blake didn't reply but reluctantly looked her leader in the eye.

"I won't say that I know either of you very well but in the small amount of time I have I can truthfully say that you're both very different. I know, I have no idea how hard either of your childhoods were but it's sad that the two of you who have had it so rough can't come to see that you've both been through too much to hurt each other."

"But Ruby she's…"

"Your friend," Ruby interrupted hoping she was saying the right things. She wanted to help her friends and for them to trust her. Above all that, she wanted them to trust and care for each other as much as she did them. "Friends make mistakes from time to time. Trust me when I say Weiss is a tough one to have. Sure she doesn't particularly like me and the only thing we agree on is combat skirts."

"Who can dis a combat skirt?" Nora declared earning an unconscious high five from Ruby. Blake, Yang and Ren shook their heads still thinking combat skirts were unpractical.

"What I'm trying to say is that Weiss has an understanding side but she's stubborn. You can't tell me you're not a little stubborn?"

"But?"

"Blake," Yang tried to add. "Weiss is the kind of girl who needs a lot of fresh starts. "I we were in some normal high school she'd probably be popular and we'd all hate her but here we have to have friends to help us or we get hurt. You can't possibly say that the next time we all have to fight that you would want her to be your enemy instead of your teammate."

"No I guess not." Blake admitted.

"So you'll talk to her later?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, if I have too." Yang sighed but with a small smile.

"Good because we have work to do!" Ruby yelled blowing her whistle and nearly deafening everyone present. "Nora call in a flock of Grim Ravens."

"Right boss."

"A whole flock?" Ren said somewhat scared.

"Oh don't worry Renny-poo. Their just a bunch of cute little birdies." Nora poking her friends shoulder.

"Can you just call in a small flock?"

"Sure!" she replied before dancing off.

"Where did she learn how to do Grim calls Ren?" Yang asked.

"Growing up she always had a habit of bring home new pets. Her parents were never happy about it since the pets were always creatures of grim. She never seemed capable of finding normal animals." He groaned. "I guess spending time with so many creatures caused her to recognize their calls."

"CRA CRA CRA-CROOOO! CRA CRA CRA-CROOOO!"

"I don't know about this," Blake said having had enough of this forest already.

"Don't worry I'm sure Nora knows what she's doing," Ruby assured her taking a moment to turn around and look at her friends. "Guys? Why do you all look so scared?"

Yang, Blake and Yang all looked past Ruby and at the tree line above her.

"What are you all," she said slowly turning around as her face changed from wonder to fear ", looking at guy-OH MY GOD NORA WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"Awe, look at all the birdies," she swooned.

**Schneebuck's Café**

"So let me see if I got things straight Ms. Schnee." Ozpin said as he finished his brownie and sipped his coffee ", you and Ms. Belladonna are angry at each other because you don't understand one another, correct."

"No, we're angry because she doesn't understand me." She said not having taken a bight out of her brownie but holding on tightly to her cup of coffee.

"That my dear is your problem."

"What is?"

"You're self-centered. So much that you can't tell when you're wrong."

"And what, pray tell, am I wrong about?"

"You're not the only victim."

"Of course I'm not. I know other people have it hard."

"Do you? You just spent the last hour explaining your life story to me or at least the tip of the iceburg seeing as you seem to have a lot to say about yourself. I asked what was going on between you and your friend. I have yet to hear anything about her."

"Well she's a..!" Weiss stopped herself. She couldn't just yell it out. It wasn't her place to reveal Blake's racial back ground. "She's a… a communist!"

"A communist?" Ozpin said rolling his eyes in disbelief. He knew the truth, it was progress thought that Weiss would hide something for a friend.

"Yeah! She's as red as a lobster Faunas Sir. She hates big industry types like me."

"Weiss, have you ever met a lobster Faunas?"

"No sir."

"Neither have I and I don't think you ever will," he replied finishing off his coffee. He had hoped this would have been over before he ran out of coffee. Now he had to get more or a cup of hot chocolate to help him survive the walk back to campus. He didn't know how to survive without a drink in hand ", and I don't think she's a communist."

"Then explain all the strikes she attended," Weiss interrupted, covering her mouth, realizing what she had said.

"Strikes?"

"I mean protests, no! I mean, rights movements, no! I mean…"

"I haven't heard of any communist rights movements." he said with a smile.

"You should really keep up with the news Professor Ozpin," Weiss said biting her lip.

"I going to pretend you didn't try to lie to me Ms. Schnee." Ozpin said getting up from his chair and taking his dirty plate. Weiss shrugged looking defeated. "Look, you spent a little over an hour explaining your life to me. Ever think of doing that with your friend?"

"I'm not sure she wants to talk to me sir."

"You know, cats have nine lives, that's why they're so stubborn. They have nine chances to figure things out. You on the other hand only have one go at it all. Try and make it right."

Ozpin began to walk off, leaving Weiss behind who was too busy understanding the meaning of his words and wondering what he knew. "Professor! Where are you going?"

"Back to the school. I have an important bill to pay."

Weiss stared in confusion. No one had been in the main building since vacation began. A student wouldn't understand.

**Streets of Vale **

"Cardin?" Russell asked earning the annoyed look of his leader.

"What Russell?" He said grinding his teeth. Usually team CRDL got along, though, that was only because they were releasing all their pent up anger on the rest of the campus. The break had somewhat put a temporary close to that since most of the students were either out in town or visiting family. Such was the case for Dove and Sky who had left Cardin and Russell alone for the break.

"Why is the break so boring?" Russell complained. The festival might have been in full swing but it was way too early in the day for any of the entertainers to be there.

"Because there's nobody at school, Russell."

"I thought you hated school?"

"What can I say? I was wrong, Russell."

"Why don't we find that velvet girl you like?"

"I do not like that rabbit eared freak you hear me!" Cardin shouted out loud earing the stares of several passerby's. It was commonly known around town that Team CRDL was the newest group of trouble makers to make its way into beacon. By now most of the shopkeepers had heard about them and had warned to people in their presence.

"AH! Sorry boss."

"Just shut up and follow me." He replied beginning to storm off.

"Ok. Where we going Cardin?"

"Russell?!" Cardin said quickly turning around.

"Y-yes boss?"

"Just shut up."

"Alright boss," Russell replied scratching his overly spiky hair.

Cardin continued to storm down the street. He was overly restless since school ended. Even the past few weeks, his team could notice something was different.

"I know!" Russell exclaimed ", let's go bug that Jaune kid."

"Russell that's two strikes man," Cardin said pulling out his mace.

"Sorry."

He was done screwing around with that loser Jaune for now. Who did he think he was? "_Don't mess with me and my friends again"._ Cardin wasn't the one who faked his way into school. Still it bother him every night hearing the clatter of combat above his dorm. He knew what was going on up there. That stupid redhead, Praia or whatever, was teaching him how to fight. If he waited too long he might actually become a decent fighter.

Regardless of the fact that Cardin owed Jaune his life, it still infuriated him to think about it. That was the only reason why he hadn't ratted Jaune out. Not that he wasn't tempted.

"We gotta find something else to do," Cardin stopped to ponder. "What do you think Russell…Russ?"

Russell was holding his mouth shut.

"Russell I asked you a question!"

"Sorry, you said I was on strike two. I don't want to strike out."

"I'm gonna strike you out of the park if you don't say something."

"Uh I don't know," Russell stuttered. "Ooh what about Snow Angel!"

"Who?"

"Over there! Didn't that Jaune guy call here that all the time?" Russell pointed at the all-white wearing princes who was walking up the street alone with her arms crossed and looking ahead with anger and confusion as if she were thinking.

"What about her?"

"I don't know? I'm going my best her boss."

"Uhg," Cardin groaned. Russell was his _friend_ but he could be really be annoying sometimes: "Cardin, Cardin! URSA!" "Cardin, Cardin! BEOWOLF!"

"Cardin, Cardin, Cardin?"

"WHAT?!" Cardin yelled realizing Russell was calling his name as he though.

"She's behind you," Russell said pointing.

"Who? Whha!" Cardin stumbled back not having noticed Weiss was behind him.

"What are you two doing here? Don't you have some innocent bystanders to abuse?" She asked.

"None of your business Snow Angel," Cardin grunted.

"Uhg, that Blonde idiot has you saying that too. It's Weiss Schnee."

"Like the coffee place?" Russell asked.

"No Shit duffus," Cardin replied. Despite Cardin's group being somewhat ruff, it was noticeable that Cardin himself was the only one who actually sward.

"So what are you two doing?" Weiss insisted.

"Cardin's bored," Russell commented.

"And you're not," Weiss replied sarcastically. "Is t just me or does he say Cardin a lot?"

"You have no idea," Cardin answered.

"Well if you two are done blocking the sidewalk then I wouldn't mind if you let me through. I have to find my team."

"Why where are they?" Cardin asked knowing that Team RWBY had a habit of finding interesting things in town.

"I have the faintest idea. Our rambunctious leader took them and some of team JNPR to train for the tournament."

"JNPR uhg?" Cardin said thinking of Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Don't worry. Scraggly and Ms. Marshmallow Flakes are doing their own thing." Weiss commented.

"Oh, then you won't mind us tagging along then?" Cardin asked.

"What makes you think we'd want you to tag along?"

"You said you don't know where your team is. Three of us would be able to cover more ground then one."

"True but I'm pretty sure the others don't want anything to do with you."

"Others? So you have no problem with us." Cardin asked with a charming but suggestive smile only inches away from Weiss.

"Uhg!" Weiss groaned pushing her way between the boys. "You can help but only if you keep you distance."

"Fine by me," Cardin was just happy to have something to do.

**Old Town, on the edge of the Emerald forest.**

"BANG BANG BANG!" Nora yelled and laughed as she shot at the trees full of Grimm Ravens.

"Nora I said a small flock!" Ren yelled as he fired in all directions. Ravens were flying all around them, swooping down like little dive bombers.

"I said no promises hehe." Nora didn't notice that a swarm of Ravens was forming behind her to strike her all at once.

"Nora!" Yelled Ren being too far away to help her. Just then a little black shadow sored at lightning fast speed past his feet, towards Nora. From it, Blake appeared, grabbing Nora and teleporting her out of the way just in time.

"Nora you have to be careful." Blake said to Nora as she panted. Nora looked at her knowing that all those birds together could have done some damage. Blake might have saved her life. She grabbed Blake around the arms and hugged her tightly.

"Awe," she said as she forced the air out of Blake's lungs.

"Nora, not now," Blake managed to get out.

"Why are there so many of them?" Yang asked. "Nora, what did that call mean?!"

Yang was struggling to punch every Raven that got close to her.

"It was their squishy squishy call!"

"Squishy squishy?" Ruby asked as she twirled her scythe around like a fan every time a swarm got close.

"You don't want to know," Ren sighed. He had taken a position behind Ruby knowing her twirling would cover his back while his machinegun fire would cover hers.

"You know I really starting to wish we had Weiss' magic about now," Blake commented freeing herself from Nora's grip just in time to push her out of the way of another storm as she jumped and ran up the thick cloud of birds being sure to fire every round she had loaded in her weapon, Gambol Shroud. Running out of ammo she threw the sharp end of her sword at a tree taking advantage of the long cable and motor to jump off the flock of birds and land safely next to the others who were all forming close to each other.

"Blake, what you see up there," Ruby asked. She knew her groups strengths. Blake was the most perceptive and had a habit of scouting ahead. No doubt she learned something running up into the sky.

"You read Seven Deadly Grimms?" Blake asked kneeling as Ren covered her to reload.

"Of course, I read books."

"It's like that only all the Grimms are crows."

"URG I've had it!" Yang Yelled as a few ravens got into her hair. She pumped her fists engulfing herself in flame to burn away the ravens, and switched her gauntlets to rocket mode.

"Yang don't!" Ruby pleaded.

"Take this you stupid birds, WHAAA!" Yang fired missile after missile into the forest, blasting away trees full of ravens. "Yeah take that!"

When Yang finally calmed down she realized what she had done. The trees she had blasted away had caught on fire. The remaining Grimm Ravens inside the trees flew out of them and high into the sky making a dark cloud that blotted out the sun.

Yang looked at the others who were all looking at her disappointedly. "Sorry."

**Beacon Academy**

"Wow, that was a work out," Jaune said letting out a sigh of relief as he and Pyrrha walked down the main courtyard towards the entrance of the campus. Their morning practice was over and it was finally time for them to relax for the rest of the day.

"I agree, I could go for some of Ren's pancakes." Pyrrha said before she noticed Professor Ozpin making his way towards them ", hello Head Master Ozpin. Are you enjoying the break?"

"Why yes, Miss Nikos, and how are you and Mr. Arc doing?"

"We were just doing some extra training sir."

"I see, practicing for the tournament are we? Is this your leader's idea?" Ozpin said taking a look at Jaune who had been silent.

"Actually sir I didn't think I was going to…Owe!" Pyrrha pinched him. "I mean yeah, the tournament. Gotta be ready to fight those darn Grimm Monsters."

Pyrrha shook her head a little bit.

"Have you ever been to a Vital festival Jaune. The tournament that is?" Ozpin inquired.

"Uh yeah, of course I have. Every year sir."

"Mhmm, well I'll leave you too be. I have to speak with Glynda before they take away the water too."

"Water sir?" Pyrrha asked. It was true, only the teachers knew about the main buildings lack of electricity. "Nothing Ms. Nekos. See you at the festival."

Ozpin made his way past the memorial statue and Jaune slouched in defeat. "He totally knows I'm faking."

"That's a good thing Jaune," Pyrrha assured him.

"Why would that possibly be good?"

"If he knows and he hasn't gotten rid of you that means he wants to keep you here. If not, then we have to keep fooling him. Either way we just have to keep doing what we're doing."

"Glad you're so optimistic." Jaune said feeling discouraged.

"Jaune?"

"Yeah," he replied making his way towards town as she followed behind.

"You know even leaders need help."

"I don't feel that much like a leader Pyrrha. Ren and Nora are always listening to you."

"That's because you're never there."

"I feel wrong ordering them around when their all better than me. It's like what Professor Bartholomew says. A leader should never tell his followers to do something he wouldn't do."

"Being a leader is about more than giving orders Jaune. People have problems, you have to help them."

"You guys don't have problems. You're unstoppable, Ren is always calm and Nora is always happy."

"I have my problems Jaune and so do the others."

"You have problems?"

"I'm human Jaune not a Grimm."

"Then what's wrong?" He asked.

"That's for you to figure out. People aren't just going to say, Jaune. Please help me, I'm emotional." She teased.

"Ok ok I get it."

"I know you do," She admitted. "You've just been busy and we are proud of you."

"Thanks Pyrrha," Jaune said. He was happy to have a friend like Pyrrha who was always there for him. "Hey can I ask you something?"

"Sure what is it leader."

"I was wondering," he said shyly scratching his head before Pyrrha gasped. "What is it!"

"Look!" Jaune spun around and saw a dark trail of smoke rising from the Emerald forest. From it, a pitch black cloud of Grimm Ravens.

**Old Town**

"Oh no," Weiss said to herself, stopping right in front of Cardin and Russell who stumbled over each other trying not to run into her.

"Russell, why did you just stop like that?!" Cardin yelled.

"Cuz she stopped Boss."

"What's the hold up? I thought we were looking for your friends." Cardin demanded.

"Pretty sure we found them."

"What where?" He asked as the two of them looked back and forth.

"If you guys spent as much time looking up at you do looking at the ground then maybe you would have seen the giant cloud of smoke and Grimm in the sky!" She yelled before running off.

"Cardin Cardin!"

"What?"

"Fire!"

"I know Russel!" he yelled.

"What do we do?!" Russell asked. Cardin didn't like to run away like the rest of his team. Back in their last field trip he at least tried to fight the giant Ursa.

"Go back to beacon and get Ozpin!"

"Why?"

"I don't know. Can you fight off all those Grimm in the sky?"

"Uhm no."

"Then get Ozpin!"

"Y-yes sir!" Russell quickly ran away towards the campus as Cardin ran at full speed to catch up with Weiss.

"Hey Snow Angel!"

"Oh you decided to help, how un-brutish of you." Weiss said as Cardin ran beside her.

"Just shut up. What do you think caused this commotion?"

"I only know a few people clumsy enough to start a forest fire that big."

"You think your team did it?"

"Have you met team RWBY. Their insane, irrational, and schizophrenic!"

"Skitzo what?" Cardin asked not understanding the word.

"Crazy! I mean really, do we go to the same school?"

The two of them ran as fast as possible until they heard the sounds of gunshot getting closer. They were fighting at the edge of the forest and all of old town was running away from the scene. The two of them could see team RWBY. Ren, Nora, and Yang were firing everything they had into the sky trying to stop as many ravens as possible from getting into Vale. Ruby and Blake were busy occupying the pack of Ursa which had ran out of the flaming forest, towards the civilians.

"Blake, we're gonna have to retreat." Ruby ordered slaying an Ursa in one swoop. She was starting to get tired. All of them were tired and no doubt someone was about to run out of Aura. If they didn't get out of there someone might actually get hurt.

"We can't just run," Blake insisted. She was out of ammunition but continued to slice at the Ursas in her wake. "If we run then they'll get into town and attack everyone!"

"But the others are almost out of ammo and we're all low on aura. As your leader we have to get out of here."

"No! We're not letting people get hurt." She yelled turning around to stare down Ruby in anger not noticing the Ursa charging towards her.

"Blake!" Ruby gasped. A charge like that would break what little aura Blake had left and crush her to pulp. Just then a feint glitter of snow rushed by Blake, cooling her skin from the heat of the fire. The blurr of snow dust stopped just behind Blake casting a large circular glyph to protect her and knock back the growling Ursa.

"Weiss?"

"Don't hurt my friend you fur ball!" Weiss yelled spinning the revolver on her rapier, Myrtenaster. In the next moments Weiss made some sort of enchanting motion with her fingers causing a glyph to appear below which thrusted her into the sky just beneath the Grimm ravens. As she looked down at what remained of the Ursa pack, floating in the air for just a moment like an angel amongst demons, she thought to herself: _Ok Weiss remember your training. Keep your form and wait for the moment you start to fall again. Bring your sword back, not that back, and freeze. _

All the snow dust in her sword wired a giant rain fall of ice spices tearing apart the Ursa causing them to fade into rose petals as all vanquished grimm did. The remaining dust tuned into thick snow which at least partially stopped the fire around her friends.

"GO WEISS!" Ruby cheered from the earth below. Sadly, Weiss had used all the strength she had to do what she did. Glyphs and other magic were all strain full on the body. Even Dust took energy to channel the way she did. Feint and out of aura, Weiss began to plummet towards the ground. A pack of Ravens were converging on her.

As the Ravens formed in the sky above, blocking the sun, Blake teleported from the shadows grabbing her friend and reappearing in the darkness of the tree line as the hungry ravens crashed into each other having lost their next snack.

"Is she Ok?" Ruby asked running over to Blake who was holding on to the barely conscious Weiss.

"I'm fine, Ruby."

"You could have died Weiss," Blake argued.

"I wasn't gonna let you all die to bunch of Grimm. Just think about it. Their so stupid." She managed to say struggling to keep herself standing. She used everything she had left to stand up and look at her friend with a smile. "You forgive me?"

"For now I guess," Blake pouted.

"Stubborn cat," Weiss commented with a sarcastic snicker.

"Yeah, we're all friends again!" Ruby announced grabbing both of her friends and pulling them close.

"Great," Ren sighed ", now we can get eaten alive together."

"Awe, don't be so depressing Renny," Nora said heavily slapping him on the back.

"Now that the group is together again, what do we do?" Yang asked as everyone convened with Weiss and Blake. With the Ursa's out of the picture the ground was safe as long as they stayed hidden from The Ravens

"I sent Russell to get help." Cardin said armed and ready conveniently after the Ursa were frozen and defeated.

"Where'd you come from?" Yang said both confused and annoyed that Cardin was here.

"Hey you want my help or not?" He said.

"It's fine, he came with me guys," Weiss panted. "He helped me find you guys, if you could call that helping."

"Better not start anything bub," Yang declared poking her finger into his chest plate.

"Hey, honey!" He yelled back but quickly realized he'd be outnumbered in an argument so he decided to back off and lower his voice. "I just polished that."

"So what's the plan?" Ren asked.

"Well the ravens are heading towards town and the rest of the fire is going the other way." Cardin stated. "All we can do with the ravens is fight them. Any plans for the fire?"

"Forget the fire, we have to save the town!" Yang argued.

"What are you thinking you pyromaniac?" Weiss managed to say. "If we let it spread not only will the entire forest be gone but all the grim will come running out. If it gets to big the bigger monsters will be added to the mix. Who started the fire anyway?!"

Yang coughed not wanting to say she did it. Weiss pretty much had a problem with everyone except for Yang. It was inevitable but Yang wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

"Nora can you just call them away?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah but I would have to be where they were going. To bad to forest went poof, hehe." She smiled.

"I have a plan," Weiss said. "Get me to the dock."

"I don't think we can bring the ocean to the forest Weiss," Ruby said.

"Not the ocean you twiddle head! Dust, my family's loaded with the stuff."

"Oh."

"Still, how are we gonna get all here?" Blake mumbled.

"You guys just get me to the dock and I'll get us some air ships. The rest of you figure it out." Weiss said looking at Ruby.

"But I don't know what to do."

"You're our leader Ruby, you're not allowed to not know whaa," Weiss tried to stand on her own but she was still too tired to do that.

"Come on princess I got you," Blake said helping her to the city.

"Seriously guys what are we gonna do?" Ruby panicked.

"I don't know?" Yang retorted. "Like Weiss said, you're the leader."

"We can't fight the way we are now." Ren explained. "Best bet is we go back into town. It's not like we're the only hunters and huntresses in town."

"Ooh we could get the whole school! It be like a monster killing party." Nora shouted.

"Uhg, do we have to. They'll all no we did it then," Ruby sighed.

"I'm pretty sure they can all see the smoke and birds from school."

"Who asked you Cardin," Yang yelled.

"Sheesh, enough with the yelling."

"Hey guys?" Ren interrupted. "I don't know about you but I don't think we're getting anything done."

"Then what's your plan pinky!" Yang retaliated.

"Really?" All he could think of was how commenting on the stripe in his hair was the best she could come up with.

**Back at Beacon**

"So I just sign this one right?" Ozpin asked as he put his signature on the bill.

"These too sir." Glynda pointed out.

"What's this one?"

"Water."

"And this?"

"Cafeteria expenses."

"That will cover the chocolate, correct."

"Yes sir."

"You see, skipping on a few luxuries helped save up in the end. Now we have everything else paid for the coming semester."

"I don't think you can call electricity and water luxuries sir." Glynda pointed out judgingly.

"Well, it's not like any of our students noticed."

"Speaking of students, did you see anything, walking around campus?"

"Nope," He replied then taking a sip of hot coco. "Everyone was out in town."

"Exactly sir. Its vacation and we're letting a bunch of teenagers run loose in the streets."

"Honestly Ms. Goodwitch I don't see the problem. I was just out there and everything was fine."

SLAM! The door went as Russell threw open to door.

"Can we help you young man."

"Ozpin Ozpin! Team RWBY set the forest on fire!"

"Excuse me?" He said in disbelief.

"And there's a flock of Raven's coming towards town!"

Ozpin sat eye's wide open in his chair sipping his coffee. Glynda just leaned at the edge of his desk waiting for him to look her in the eye. He refused to.

"Young man. How many Ravens are we talking here?"

"I don't know? All of them!"

"And why didn't you tell me sooner."

"It took forever to find your office. The coms were out and the lights were turned off. I guess team RWBY caused a blackout too."

"No Russell that's not them," He sighed finally getting up from his chair and looked at Glynda. She didn't have to say anything. The look on her face already said I told you so. "Glynda I need to rally up everyone left on campus. I'm sure the cops want out help."

"I'll get right to that sir." Glynda said walking out the room with a smile on her face. Russell looked from Glynda to Ozpin wondering why nobody seemed to be taking this seriously.

"Ozpin Ozpin."

"Not now Mr. Thrush."

"Aren't you going to do something Sir?!"

"Most surely," he replied sitting back down in his chair.

"When?!"

"When I'm done drinking Russell, when I'm done." The man said with a voice full of defeat.

**Dang that took forever to write but now I don't have writer's block! Sadly I got my typing figures back when break ended. Hopefully I can get some more fun chapters written in-between things. If you don't know I also write a persona fan fiction and haven't written a chapter in some time so I'd like to publish something there first before coming back here. **

**This takes careful planning and I can't write any RWBY chapters without knowing how I'm going to calm things down before the next season. Now that I know I can write again but I still have to be careful not to address any of Rooster Teeth's dead ends. **

**Again, post a review, fav or follow. Having a following helps me know what people want and unlike my persona fanficition I'm still working on getting more people into this. Please. Any help attracting readers is appreciated. Thank you, Alex K.**


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